Maharaja Bhog

This is our favorite Indian restaurant in Houston! We love the special dining experience and the flavorful vegetarian dishes. I’m a meat eater, but I think I might just be able to give up meat for a Maharaja Bhog diet, especially since they have a different menu everyday. Please put up a branch in San Diego soon! We miss you!

I have been here twice and had the most amazing experience each time! I’m vegan and they made it so easy. One of the staff members told me that they don’t even have a walk in refrigerator… the food is that fresh! I can’t wait to go back!

Absolutely flawlessly stunning as always with impeccable flavor. The wide array of tastes will absolutely blow you away. From the perfectly balanced atmosphere to the amazing 5 star service this gem will be sure to please and is perfect for any occasion. This is our second time visiting and will definitely be coming back again. For 5 star Vegetarian Rajasthani & Indian food this place is by far built on perfection.

Great in taste, fantastic restaurant. Very friendly and loving. Rohit did a great job in welcoming us until done with lunch. Highly recommended.

If you are feeling adventurous, this is the place to go. It’s all vegetarian dishes and they serve you as much as you want. Everyone orders the same thing, which is basically a schmorgishborg of curries, sauces, rice, and other interesting items. The flavors are very different and complex. So if you are very comfortable with a basic american palate the food here might scare you. I however, find it very refreshing and delicious as well. When eating this type of food it’s important to be bold and fearless. It’s all meant to be mixed together in different combinations, although there is no right or wrong way. The one thing I didn’t enjoy is the strange drink they provide. It does serve a purpose, however, to cool down your mouth from hot spices.

Unique experience with intensely flavorful offerings. Will be going again… and again and again!

This was definitely worth the experience and I would totally recommend you trying it out at least once!
The best way to describe this place is a Fogo de Chao but for Indian food. They give you this giant plate and fill it with like 10 different things on there (all vegetarian) then explain to you what it all is and just come to refill it as you start to run out. All the foods are pretty good, and a bit spicy, but if you can’t take the spice, you can ask for a mild setting and I assume they provide you with a mild version of the items.
Apparently they change their menu every day in a month, so you will always get something different each time you go.
The service is pretty good, the servers are very attentive and patient with those of us who were first time diners.
For the price, compared to other places $ 20 isn’t a big deal, but $ 20 for vegetarian food is kind of pushing it, but I would still pay to go again.
Tip– watch the video they have on Unilocal,it’s awesome. ;)

Maharaja Bhog is one of the best places in Houston that serves great Indian ‘vegetarian’ food. The restaurant has its own style. It gives you an experience of how Maharaja (king) used to have his meal in early India.haha. especially with the handwash that they bring before and after the meal.
Its has unlimited buffet with lots of variety offered both for lunch and dinner. They serve in a Thali and you can keep asking for your favorites again and again till you feel you are done. The royal meal as I would call it.
It’s a bit expensive especially if you are a student on a budget. The price is higher on the weekends than weekdays. This time when I went there, I saw a board that said closed on Tuesday.
My husband was visiting Houston and I had taken him here for lunch, he loved it too!
Overall, great food and great service.

I’m definitely a fan of this place, after hearing about it from a coworker, the Unilocal video they put out really made my expectations high walking into this place.
When you first walk in, you’ll noticed a very decorative facility with metal shiny platters littered around the seating area. From what I understand, Maharaja Bhog means to treat you like a king. Its ornate interior really emphasizes on cleanliness. The staff here are very well trained and use awesome hand signals to communicate with each other. Everyone is in uniform and does their part in their service line.
Because it was my first time eating at Maharaja Bhog, A gentleman explained all that was provided for us after the service line filled our plates up with various soups, vegetables, appetizers, condiments and two different kinds of naan. He also explained how we are to eat it and what to dip the naan’s in. The pictures posted by other reviewers really describes what I had. Everyone’s plate will be filled with the same stuff.
At the start of the meal, the staff will come around with a pitcher of lukewarm water to wash your hands with. I doubt this really does much to clean your hands, but its definitely a cool experience to have. Although I can’t really name or describe all the dishes I had, my favorite one would be the pandit sameer, which I got around 2 – 3 rounds of that. I also really enjoyed their appetizers. One thing I did not prefer was their buttermilk/​milk/​yogurt drink, it really tasted like ass. I’m im sure its authentic, but according to another reviewer, it was the best item on the menu. Also, their hot sauce/​powder in the middle of the table needs to have a disclaimer on it.
Overall, the experience at Maharaja Bhog was very enjoyable and would definitely come back. While I did get full off of dinner, I woke up in the middle of the night starving. For $ 17 dollars, I feel its a reasonable price. Nice food, good place, excellent service and hot sauce that melts your face off, Maharaja Bhog has a winning formula here.

Came with huge expectation from reading reviews but sadly to say there is nothing extraordinary about the food. Not saying it is bad food but there was no wow factor and it was over priced for the food they provided and Not worth the money. Its complete rip off to anyone walking through that door. On top of that manager offered $ 2 for a simple paan which is ridiculous on top of $ 18.
2 dal dishes very bland, one sweet mango pickle, 2 paneer dishes, 1 chickpeas curry, aloo matar very mild, dahi vada small chapathi, poori, plain rice, vegetable fried rice… all these for $ 18 not worth it.. Only best thing was jalebi which they made fresh and buttermilk.

Not only was this an experience because of the quality of food that I had today but also because of the service and atmosphere. I have been to some of the top restaurants in the world and this little place is second to none, I mean nobody, none, zip ziltch zero nobody!
Also, the food kept coming until you told them to stop! Be afraid not to try this place, be very afraid.
Would definitely recommend. I gave it 5 stars only because Unilocal won’t let me give it 10 stars.

Very delicious home-​like food. The only reason I am giving one less star is because they ask for $ 1 for the paan after offering all inclusive buffet.
Food, desserts and drinks were all delicious.

Back here for the ⁴⁄₅^th time maybe. Continues to be amazing, serving staff is polite and friendly, place is managed super well, food is outstanding. This is on the top 3 meals of my life list, the other two being pasta in Venice and Torchy’s Tacos in Austin
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5 star describes it the best. If anyone else rates it less than 5, I need to know what else is 5 star. Authentic Indian food, ingredients fresh and everything served with a small. Word of advice, pace yourself and aim to eat it like tapas rather than the typical Indian hog-​all buffet. I know it’s not easy but too easy to get carried away stuffing your face with delicious food here. The less than 5 stars were probably people who over ate and had stomach pain later hahaha. Good job Bhog team, keep it is, stick around and don’t fade away or get complacent like other Indian restaurants. I drive all the way from Austin to be there so it don’t make me regret, ever

Man, this was some of the BEST vegetarian food I’ve eaten in my life. I’ve had thali at other restaurants before but never have I seen anything this extravagant. I don’t even know what I was eating most of the time, but all of it was delicious. Sooo many flavors! Sweet, sour, spicy, savory. It was all there, and nothing was too spicy or extreme.
Lots of bean-​based dishes, with lentils, chickpeas, and mung beans in most of the dal/​kadhi/​curries. The white rice was kind of bland but the two different breads (wheat roti and puri) were so good, hot and fresh. For dessert, we got these sugary, deep-​fried doughnuts (jalebi), a sweet yogurt-​based soup, and doughnuts in yogurt topped with carrots and cilantro (dahi vada) which was my favorite dessert by far. Incredible!
If you think the thali is pricey at $ 19, get the full thali to go, which is enormous enough to feed 2 people (what we did). And they only box it up when you arrive at the restaurant so everything’s still hot and fresh when you get home. They also have a smaller meal box that costs around $ 9 I think.
Menu changes daily so it’s a whole new adventure every time you go, even if it’s on consecutive days!

Came here with a friend because I was doing a vegetarian fast for religious reasons. If vegeterian north Indian food isn’t your thing; you should definitely still try this place out just for the dining experience!
When I came in I was immediately greeted & asked if it was my first time. The server explained how the restaurant works, and the different types of foods served there.
Maharaja Bhog is a buffet style restaurant where you can request an extra serving of each item up to three times.
Table side hand washing service; as you are seated someone comes out with a pitcher & a metal basin to wash your hands. Very convenient & is such a plus to the dining experience. The food is then brought out to you, every two to three items is served by a different person on the waitstaff as they walk up to your table in line.
As each of our bowls were being filled our server explained to us how each item is eaten & paired with what.
If anything was empty on my plate our server would immediately come over & ask if I wanted more of anything or refilled my water.
The food was fantastic, especially the samosas & lentils. My favorite was the paneer makhani (Indian curd cheese curry) the rich flavor of the curds went really well with the curry & was seasoned perfectly. Of course Indian food is not for everyone but I am definitely a fan of heavily spiced foods.
The dining experience was wonderful & am excited for my next visit here.

Before the meal they come around with a kettle and pour warm water out for you to wash your hands in. If it’s only water then I don’t think that is very effective in getting rid of germs…
I liked the naan (?) and the fried naan. My favorites were the chickpeas, the potatoes, and what looked like saag paneer. However, the spiciness really piled on and got more and more intense as the meal went on so my tongue was burning basically the entire time. xD
Service was fast and friendly!
Anyways, this was a cool experience but not my kind of food. I thought it tasted better than Pondicherri’s meatless thali!

I gotta say that this place brought back fond memories for me. At the start of the meal they provide a table-​side hand washing service which is awesome and totally reminiscent of trips to India. Every item is brought table-​side to you, kind of like how meat is brought to you at a Texas De Brazil, but 100% vegetarian. The cuisine is authentic Gujrati with a Rajastani touch. You get to choose just how much of each item you desire. Their roti’s are fresh and soft, but keep room for the rice dishes! The mint and cilantro buttermilk is very refreshing. The meetha paan (sweetened coconut and fennel seeds amongst others sweet delectables, wrapped in a fresh paan leaf) is the best palate cleanser and the perfect ending to a fabulous and satisfying meal.

Nice atmosphere. Friendly staff. Feels like Indian restaurant. Nice management. Nice service.
Food:
Buttermilk was awesome, Farsans were delicious. Must try sweets: rabdi and halwa.
Fulka roti and bajare ka rotla was good as well.
Enjoyed food thoroughly.

This place is awesome.
I heard of this place and I was excited to have another restaurant I could eat at. We came in as soon as they opened on Saturday (I skipped breakfast) and were the first ones in. The workers were crowded towards the back and we were led to a table complete with the metal dish and mini bowls. I told them we ate Jain (no onion/​garlic) and they placed a little sign at our table with the word «Jain» on it.
The meal came with water and a cup of buttermilk, which was interesting. I didn’t mind the buttermilk but it does take some getting used to. I can’t say the same for my table mates. Then the food started coming out and it was awesome. As soon as I thought that was it, more food came out until my entire plate and the little bowls were occupied.
I love Indian food so I’ve eaten my fair share, however, I wasn’t really familiar with what I was being served. I was a bit too hungry to ask though. There’s a large assortment of veggie based curry like eggplant and then items of a more soupy nature, some of them appear to be yogurt based. The breads were good and came from the beginning but the rice didn’t come until halfway into our meal (something some people weren’t thrilled about). It’s definitely more traditional — that day didn’t have any malai kofta but I think one of them contained paneer. There was jalebi and a really thick and sweet mango purée.
About 15 minutes in, other customers began coming in and about an hour later (yes, we were there for that long), the entire place was full. By the time we left, there were people waiting for tables.
During the entire meal, we were repeatedly asked by this lady (the owner? Manager?) if we wanted more and if we did, we would get more. Sometimes, we were asked a little too much. I have a thing where I need to finish everything on my plate before I can get more so it was a little distracting when I was trying to finish my meal to see if I could stuff myself further. (Proud/​Fatty moment: I managed to finish everything by the time we left and also had seconds of 2 off the veggie curries.) The servers would also walk around when there were more tables and you could flag them down. The only complaint: towards the end, they didn’t do it as much. Maybe they thought we had been there for too long and didn’t want to encourage us, haha. My friend wanted a stuffed appetizer thing and though I had asked for her, she never got it.
It was an experience to remember. The place wasn’t like your usual Indian restaurant on Hillcroft. It was more upscale and the servers had these uniforms. They even brought a fancy pitcher and basin to your table before you eat and after to wash your hands. Essentially, they wait on you and you don’t need to get up at all. Food was plenty and I personally loved their lentils (did they put rice or poha in it?) because they were so tender and fluffy and not «beany» at all.
I would definitely return again, but not as much as I’d like. At around $ 19 a person on weekends, not including tax or gratuity (which is automatically included for parties of 5 or more… we were a party of 5), it’s not to be a regular thing unless that’s how you roll. However, I’m happy to say they still get good business (most of them Indians, so you have to say that their food must be authentic!). Perhaps it’s the atmosphere, the experience, or the good food, which, if their website is it be believed, changes every day.
I just love how there’s another restaurant I can eat out at! Word of warning: the fare may be too traditional for some people’s tastes. I, however, liked it fine. :-)

Both my parents are Indian and grew up in India, so I’ve eaten North Indian food practically my entire life, which means I have a good idea of what’s truly great Indian food. Maharaja Bhog has a very appealing concept in that you get to try 20 dishes with free refills, but I found the quality of each item mediocre. Probably the best dish was the mango curry, because I had never had it before (I’m also a huge sucker for seasonal items). The other gravies, curries and puris were too greasy and practically swimming in oil. For desserts I was given jalebis and kheer (rice pudding). Kheer is best served very hot or very cold, so the room temperature kheer was disappointing. The jalebi was pretty good, but not outstanding. I paid $ 25 dollars (with tip) for the meal, which I don’t think was worth it because I didn’t love the food despite the large quantity.
I also had issues with the service, because literally every second I was asked if I wanted more of a certain dish. I understand this could be seen as the management just being super concerned, but it made conversation with my friends very hard and I couldn’t enjoy the food that was on my plate because I kept looking up to decline for more food. At one point I firmly (but politely) told the manager that I will ask for more food myself, but it didn’t really help.
Ambience was alright. It was a clean restaurant with some effort made to make it look Indian.
On the whole, I wouldn’t go again if I had the choice.